02/27/18 – 4:41 P.M.

Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik gave the State of the City Address on Tuesday. She said that the city is doing great but needs to continue forming public-private partnerships.

Lydia Mihalik

She added that the city is lucky to have dedicated companies to invest in the city. She explained how there are companies like Rowmark and Cooper Tire working with kids to show careers and bolster the workforce.

Mihalik added that the city is doing well because there are groups working together and looking ahead.

Lydia Mihalik

She added that she wants to see solutions come forward for issues affecting the people of Findlay as well. She explained that issues like homelessness, transportation, and the opioid crisis need to be addressed.

You can view the address below.

2/27/18 – 10:56 A.M.

The fight against proposed dry storage basins for Blanchard river flooding continues for some Mount Blanchard residents. On Tuesday Carol Oman talked to the Hancock County Commissioners about areas that might work better for water retention. Commissioner Tim Bechtol agreed to take a look at them with her…

Audio: Carol Oman

The commissioners also agreed to forward Oman’s suggestions to the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District and to Stantec Engineering.

Stantec has proposed dry storage basins for flood mitigation but the conservancy has taken no action on those suggestions. Crews will start a river benching project in Findlay this year as part of the mitigation project.

Low lying areas in Oman’s proposal:
-State Route 37 at Blanchard River
-North edge of Mount Blanchard
-State Route 103 at Blanchard River
-Township Road 187 where road formerly crossed the river
-Two Areas on County Road 150 east of Blanchard River

2/27/18 – 7:25 A.M.

The Max & Erma’s location in Findlay has closed its doors. A post on the restaurant’s Facebook Page from late Monday night made the announcement. The post said, “This final chapter comes at the end of an extremely difficult and emotional decision. We sincerely appreciate and thank all of our longtime dedicated guests and associates.”

Denti Restaurants owns the Findlay Max & Erma’s location. So far the company hasn’t said why it decided to close the restaurant.

2/27/18 – 5:15 A.M.

The Findlay High School Symphony Orchestra received a superior rating at a recent state competition. The group took part in the Ohio Music Education Association’s State Orchestra Contest last Friday in Perrysburg. The symphony orchestra competed in Class B.

A superior is the highest rating that judges can give.

The group has 66 members.

2/27/18 – 5:10 A.M.

Bluffton University is adding a new major. The school is launching a pre-engineering program to its course catalog. Students in the major will take a blend of mathematics and physics courses along with some new classes designed specifically for pre-engineering majors.

Students in the program can transfer to an accredited engineering program after two to three years of study. They can also graduate with a four-year bachelor of arts degree from Bluffton and enroll in either an accredited bachelor’s or master’s engineering program.

Luke Myers is an assistant professor of physics at BU. He says that in the past professors encouraged students interested in engineering to major in math or physics.

The City of Findlay has earned the Ohio Auditor of State Award with Distinction. That means the city showed exemplary financial reporting for the fiscal year ending in 2016.

The State Auditor’s office gives the award to public entities that file a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, and receive a clean audit report.

2/27/18 – 4:57 A.M.

It could cost around $7.9 million to build a new sewage plant in McComb. The Courier reports members of the Northwestern Water and Sewer District met with council Monday. District officials are putting together a grant and loan package to help pay for the plant.

A public forum on the issue is set for Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the McComb American Legion.

The water and sewer district says residential customers, McComb schools and businesses would share some of the debt charge for the project.

MORE: The Courier

02/26/18 – 6:29 P.M.

WFIN had a mental health expert on to talk about mental illness and treatment options. The Harvard Bipolar Clinic’s Dr. Gary Sachs explained that bipolar disorder can be detrimental to your life.

Gary Sachs

Sachs added that suicide is around 10% higher in people with bipolar disorder. He said there are over a dozen medications available to treat the disorder though.

Gary Sachs

Sachs said that if you don’t like a medication you’re on, then you can talk with your doctor and find one that suits you.

02/26/18 – 5:11 P.M.

Flu cases in Hancock County are on their way down after steadily inclining for several weeks. Hancock Public Health reports that flu cases had climbed up towards 180 cases in just the 18th week of the flu season. By week 22 the number cases per week had dropped below 10.

So far there have been over 975 total cases reported by Blanchard Valley Health System. There are still several weeks left of the flu season.